The situation between the Cincinnati Bengals and wideout Tee Higgins isn’t out of the ordinary.
After all, the team — and therefore fans — went through the same scenario last year with safety Jessie Bates.
So with a new report stating the obvious in that Higgins won’t be at OTAs soon, some important reminders might prove useful.
As Spotrac and even the Bates situation reminded everyone last year, Higgins isn’t going to suffer any sort of fine or setback for not showing up to OTAs. He has, after all, not signed his franchise tag yet.
Barring something unexpected, Higgins will likely report over the summer around training camp or the preseason and actually sign the $21.8 million tag. Otherwise, there’s a July 15 deadline for an extension to happen (he’s the only tagged player who doesn’t have an extension this summer) or he’ll play next year on the tag.
Tee Higgins will not be subjected to any type of fine for his absence as he is considered an unsigned player. He & the Bengals have until July 15th to negotiate a multi-year extension, or else he'll be confined to a 1 year contract for 2024 (not necessarily the tag). https://t.co/kDsvnDX7Do
— Spotrac (@spotrac) May 21, 2024
